New ways of measuring blood pressure offer benefits in hypertension research

Researchers are exploring new ways to assess blood pressure that will better identify patients' risk for adverse cardiovascular events than current methods. Studies have been focusing on measuring nocturnal blood pressure or central aortic pressure. While these tools are showing value for researchers, they are unlikely to find a place in the clinical setting at the present time. Researchers studying nocturnal hypertension are focusing on the pattern seen when charting blood pressure levels over 24-hour periods.